Building element

ABSTRACT

Building element for walls, pavings and the like structures comprising two parallel side faces forming parts of the surfaces of the structure, ends fitting into each other and the remaining two sides fitting into the sides of adjacent elements placed in half-brick order, the sides fitting into adjacent elements consisting of an inclining central section and adjoining end sections inclining oppositely from the lateral plane and being of a shape allowing any point of a side edge of one of the parallel side surfaces to be joined with a side edge on the other through a straight lined generatrix, which element is interlocking perpendicularly to the plane of the structure and in longitudinal direction of the elements in a way which allow setting without breaking the interlocking due to a wedge effect.

United States Patent 1191 Ludvigsen [111 3,834,108 [4 Sept. 10, 1974 BUILDING ELEMENT [22] Filed: Dec. 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 319,016

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 112,907, Feb. 5, 1971,

Pl3,846 9/1956 Germany 325,514 3/1935 Italy Primary ExaminerJohn E. Murtagh Assistant Examiner-James L. Ridgill, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Stowell & Stowell 5 7] ABSTRACT abandmed' Building element for walls, pavings and the like structures comprising two parallel side faces forming parts 3 i' i 8: of the surfaces of the structure, ends fitting into each l i c 52/3 61 other and the remaining two sides fitting into the sides 1 1e 0 earc 52/608 of adjacent elements placed in half-brick order, the sides fitting into adjacent'elements consisting of an in- 56 R f d clining central section and adjoining end sections in- 1 e erences clining oppositely from the lateral plane and being of UNITEDSTATES PATENTS a shape allowing any point of a side edge of one of the 257,155 5/1882 Dupuis 52/593 parallel side surfaces to be joined with a side edge on 9 3.9 9 S055 i 5 /594 the other through a straight lined generatrix, which el- 903,907 ll/l908 SOSS. 52/594 ement is interlocking perpendicularly to the plane of 13361789 4/1920 Sheen r 512/590 the structure and in longitudinal direction of the eleg g ments in a way which allow setting without breaking aum erger the interlocking due to a wedge effect FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,461,739 11/1966 France 52/609 2 6 Drawmg F'gures o 1 lo 4 5 g t 1 2 1 I I I l l 1 1 l l 1 i 1 9 I t d L l T --I a df v PAIENIEU SEP 1 01914 SHEUIBF I Fig. 2

v INVENTOR HANS THORK IL LUDVIGSEN W M 24 ATTORNEY PAIENIEB SEPI 01914 snmznra IN VENTOR HANS THORK l L LUDV/GSEN ATTORNEY PATENTEDSEPIOIW Y 3.834.108 sum BM 4 I INVENTOR HANS THORKIL LUDVIGSEN BM #M ATTORNEY PATEFHEUSFFIOW 3.834.108

SHEEF H0? 4 INVENTOR HANS THORKIL LUDVIGSEN ATTORNEY BUILDING ELEMENT This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 112,907, filed Feb. 5, 1971, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a building element for walls, pavings and the like structures, comprising two mutually parallel sides to form parts of the surfaces in the resulting structure, ends fitting into each other and the remaining two sides fitting into the sides of adjacent elements placed in half-brick order.

Building elements are known, by which an interlocking effect is obtained between the individual elements of a structure made from such elements by means of protruding parts, such as projections or gudgeons, fitting into corresponding recesses in adjacent elements. A wall or paving made from such elements can stand forces in the longitudinal direction of the individual elements as well as forces at right angles to the plane of the wall or the paving. If the surface of these structures is to remain even, it is, however, necessary to manufacture the elements with very fine tolerances, whereby a proper joining of the elements to a desired structure is rendered difficult, among others owing to the fact that the presence of foreign bodies between the individual elements will result in a crookedness, which cannot easily be remedied when laying the subsequent rows of elements. The protruding parts are also easily broken off, especially at ahsrp, introverted corners.

The problem of the fine tolerances has partly been overcome by producing elements, by which the interlocking effect in the longitudinal direction is achieved by the individual elements being designed in the shape of an obtuse-angled Z. The cross section of these elements is rectangular, and the elements are intended for paving. Pavings consisting of such elements can only stand forces in the longitudinal direction of the elements, owing to the fact that forces perpendiuclar to the plane of the surface cannot be transferred to adjacent elements. This causes, by dikes with revetments consisting of these elements, a certain tendency of the paving being undermined by the effect of waves, whereby it is broken up and the interlocking effect is lost.

The object of the present invention is to provide a building element of the kind mentioned above, which is able to transfer forces to adjacent elements in such a way that a continous structure can be built up with these elements and in such a way that the interlocking effect is not based on an exact joining together of the elements, or on fine tolerances in the manufacture of the elements. Especially, the elements of the invention do not have frail, protruding parts or correspondingly sharp-edged, introverted comers. I

This is obtained according tothe present invention thereby that the sides fitting into adjacent'elements consisting of an inclining central section and adjoining end sections inclining oppositely from the lateral plane and being of a shape allowing any point of a side edge of one of the parallel side surfaces to be joined with a side edge on the other through a straight lined generatrix.

With the element according to the invention structures may be built, in which each element is secured be tween four of the six adjacent elements in the structure. However, since the securing is achieved by a wedge effect and not by an exact geometrical interlocking, the structure can compensate for tolerances and absorb settings. Thus, attacking forces are distributed over a greater area and the risk of breakage is diminished. At the same time it is possible to design the element without sharp, introverted comers or locally weakened cross sections. In the cases where an embodiment with facets is preferred, the angles will be obtuse and the risk of breakge at the corresponding introverted corners' is minimal.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention one of the parallel side faces has the shape of a rectangle. Especially, for esthetic reasons this is an ad vantage, but'it also facilitates the joining of the elements by making it easier to mutually orient the individual elements.

These elements can be used both in the building up of vertical walls and for the covering of horizontal or sloping surfaces. The vertical walls have as such a cohesive force which is independent of the presence of mortar, and settings owing to frost can be absorbed without the interlocking effect being broken. As a distribution of the forces between the individual elements is always taking place, the elements will show a great tendency of returning to their original position in the wall.

Small-sized elements may also be used as toys to impart to playing children a natural understanding of the cohesion of brick walls. By revetments on dikes, the ability of compensating for inaccuracies in the individual elements and in the joining causes a maintenance of the cohesive force, even though settings occur, which will minimize the risk of breakage of the surface resulting in a damage to the dike. Also for roads carrying a great deal of traffic, pavings consisting of the building elements according to the invention may advantageously be used, because of the fact that dislocations of the individual elements and of the rows mutually are prevented.

It is advantageous that especially building elements with a rectangular side face carry a prismatic thickening, which forms an integral part of the element, in order that wear and tear or erosion of the element does not change its appearance. The thickening also improves the properties of the structure in respect of keeping surfaces even.

ln embodiments of the present invention, in which the cross sections at the ends of the element have a greater area than cross sections at the centre of the element, an increased interlocking effect in the plane of the structure is obtained, and in this connection it is advantageous that the inclination of the side faces fitting into those of adjacent elements is varying continously along the side faces. Hereby introverted corners are completely avoided.

In an especially advantageous embodiment of the building element according to the invention, the diverging end sections are extending from the ends of the element to the centre of the element and the central sections inclining in the opposite direction are extending from the ends of the element to the centre of the element and the central sections inclining in the opposite direction are extending to the ends of the element. Hereby a mutual support between adjacent elements is achieved on a surface, which makes up about half of the area of the side surface of the individual element, thus makingthe risk of breakge of the elements minimal, at the same time bringing about a considerable sealing effect against undermining of the joints between the elements.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein FIG. lv shows an axonometric projection of an element according to the invention,

FIG. 2 a structure consisting of elements according to FIG. 1, I

FIG. 3 an element according to a further embodiment of the invention, seen from above,

FIG. 4 an axonometric projection of another embodiment of an element according to the invention,

FIG. 5 an axonometric projection of a Z-shaped element according to the invention, and

FIG. 6 a structure consisting of Z-shaped elements according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an element 1 with an upper surface 2 parallel to a bottom surface 3. The element is composed of two end sections 4 and 5 and a central section 6, connected to the end sections at the quarter points. The secants of the imaginary dividing planes are marked by dot-and-dash lines. One side face 7 of the end section 4 isinclining inwardly, connecting the bottom face 3 with the upper face 2, while the adjacent side face 8 of of the central section 6 is inclining outwardly from from the bottom face 3 to the upper face 2. The side faces 9 and 10 opposite to the side faces 7 and 8, respectively, are likewise oblique and with an opposite inclination. Of these side faces, the side face 9, being opposite to the side face 7, is inclining inwardly. The other half of the element is symmetrical to the described half. It is possible to join together the elements of FIG. I to a bonded surface by turning every second course 180 around a vertical axis. Such a bond is shown in FIG. 2. The protruding part made up by the face 7 fits into the recess of an adjacent element made up by the side face 8. Each element adjoins four other elements in the adjacent courses and is in contact with each of these by an outwardly and an inwardly inclining section of the side face. In relation to the four adjoining elements, each individual element is thus locked against forces acting at right angles on the plane of the surface.

The elementof FIG. 1 is shown with an evenly varying inclination of the side face, but an embodiment with a constant inclination of the side faces of the individual sections is also possible. By this a vertical section connecting the inclined faces is necessary.

By certain embodiments of the elements, namely those in which the cross section is either constant or increasing towards the ends, there is furthermore obtained an interlocking of the elements in the structure in the longitudinal direction of the elements, whereby pavings consisting of these elements become particularly coherent and capable of resisting the forces resulting from e.g. heavy traffic. At the same time the elements can be used for the building of vertical surfaces, such as garden walls and the like. The upper and bottom surfaces of the elements hereby make up the front and back side, respectively, of the walls. The element can also form part of a toy building set as a basic element for the building up of model houses or the like.

The element shown in FIG. 1 has a rectangular upper surface, but other designs of the upper surface can also be used, the only condition being that they can be used for the building up of a bond.

In FIG. 3 an element is seen from above, the inclination of the side faces being symmetrically arranged around the longitudinal axis of the element on-the two side faces of the element. This facilitates the joining'together of the elements in a correct bond. The end faces are shown plane and at right angles to the upper surfaces, but may have oblique faces or other meansfor the transfer of shearing forces and may be provided with oblique faces. It must, however, be taken into account that the oblique end faces must have an inclination which enables the elements to be joined together without bond. This is possible if the end faces of the elements are similar to the side faces of the element according to FIG. I, as these elements can be used both with and without bond.

The inclination of the side faces of the element according to FIG. 3 is. varying in accordance with a cosinefunction, whereby sharp, introverted corners are avoided. This is especially of importance when the elements are made of distinctly notch sensitive materials.

The imaginary faces dividing the end sections from the central section need not necessarily be parallel or at right angles to the upper and bottom surfaces. By an element as shown in FIG. 4, the end sections are defined by the end faces and two of the upper triangular sections of the side surfaces extending to the central section of the element. The oblique side faces hereby connect the upper and bottom surfaces from one point in one surface to a side edge in the other.

Especially in embodiments, where the upper surface is rectangular, it is desirable that the joint pattern keeps it appearance during wearing off of the elements. To avoid a change in appearance, the elements may be provided with a wearing surface of prismatic form with the upper surface as the basic surface.

In FIG. 5 an element 101 is shown, the central section 102 of which has primatic ends 103 and 104. The ends form an obtuse angle with the central part. The ends have parallel lateral edges and are limited by mutually parallel end surfaces 105 and 106 so that the sum of the lengths of the end portions is approximately equal to the length of the central section. The end portions have a cross section in the form of an isosceles trapezium, and the surface facing downwards of the element shown in FIG. 5 is the bigger. The cross section of the central section 102 is also trapezium-shaped, but here the upper surface is the bigger. It is also possible to produce an element, the end portions of which have their bigger surface facing upwards.

A bond of alternating rows of the two types of elements can be built up. Such a bonded arrangement is shown in FIG. 6. The cranked form of the elements brings about an interlocking against forces acting lengthwise in direction B. If the structure is fixed transversely to the rows of elements in direction A the structure cannot be displaced in direction B. In roads the elements are usually placed with the direction A in the longitudinal direction of the road. A fixing in the transverse direction of the road between kerbstone constructions will then be superfluous, owing to the interlocking of the elements in direction B.

The trapezium form brings about an interlocking in the structure level against forces perpendicular to said level. In FIG. 6 is shown an element 110 adjoining two elements 111 and 112. The element 110 has an out-' wards inclining area 113, an inwards inclining area 114 and an outwards inclining area 115. The area 114 adjoins an inwards inclining area 116 of the element 112, and the area 115 adjoins an area 117 of the element 112. Upwards directed forces on the element 110 can be transferred to the element 1 12 through the area 117. Corresponding conditions also apply to the other lateral areas of the element 110. The element 110 may consequently by fixed in the structure, which will show a big cohesion against the stress from for example traffic on road lanes or the disintegrating effect of waves on revetments.

The interlocking of course impedes repairs, since, if the opening is to be performed in the middle of the surfaces, a breaking to pieces of some of the elements will be necessary in order to open the pavement. The elements cannot either be replaced in such a way that the repair is completely hidden. The problem may be solved by for example closing the final opening of the structure with concrete instead of one or more elements.

A prismatic portion on the top or bottom surface may form an integral part of the element to improve the wearing qualities of the structure and the resistance against the elements being overturned or if this prismatic part is only present on one of two types of the elements when two types are necessary for making up a bond, a water-breaking effect is achieved, which is especially advantageous when the elements are used for covering revetrnents on sea walls and the like. The prismatic portion will appear as slightly staggered ribs protruding from the surface of the revetment and thereby restrain the speed of the water washing up upon the revetment.

The excellent cohesion in pavements composed from the present elements also permits the building in of steps into an inclining pavement. Special stepstones may be used, consisting of the present elements surmounted with a pyramidal or prismatic portion forming an integral part of the top surface of the individual elements.

I claim:

1. in a wall, paving and the like structure composed of a plurality of rows of building elements with elements of adjacent row being mirror images and fitting into adjacent elements placed in half-element order, each of said elements comprising first and second parallel planar side faceswhich form portions of the planar surfaces of the structure to be formed therefrom, first and second parallel planar ends of identical trapezoidal configuration and third and fourth side faces mirror images of each other and each consisting of a pair of parallel planar trapezoidal surfaces joined by a planar parallelogram.

2. In a wall, paving and the like structures composed of a plurality of identical building elements, each of said elements comprising first and second parallel planar side faces which form portions of the planar surfaces of the structure to be formed therefrom; said first planar side face being quadrangular in plane and the second planar side face being of hourglass configuration and defined by a pair of identical isosceles trapezoidal surfaces; a pair of identical end elements of trapezoidal configuration in plan, with parallel side edges lying in the planes of the first and second planar side faces, said end elements abutting in end to end relationship with adjacent elements when the elements are laid end to end; and a pair of third and fourth non-parallel sides mating with and fitting into an opposite side of adjacent elements placed in half-element order; said third side consisting of a pair of identical triangular surfaces separated by a triangular surface having a pair of edges each common with one of the pair of identical triangular surfaces and a third edge common with an edge of said first planar side face; and said fourth side comprising first and second pairs of triangular surfaces with the first pair lying in the same plane with one edge of each being common with one edge of the second pair of triangular surfaces and an other edge of each being common with an edge of opposite ends of the element, and said second pair of triangular surfaces being parallel to opposite of said identical triangular surfaces of said third side.

53 33 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,834,108 Dated September 10, 1974 Inventor H S THORKIL LUDVIGSEN It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[76] Inventor:. HANS THORKI L LUDVIGSEN Fjellebro Rudme, Funen, Denmark [30] Foreign Application Priority Data:

February 10, 1970 Denmark....6,26/70- July 8', i970 Denmark. .3549/70 Signed and sealed this 19th day of November 1974.

(SEAL) I Attest: I

c. MARSHALL D ANN Commissioner of Patents McCOY M. GIBSON JR. Attesting Officer 

1. In a wall, paving and the like structure composed of a plurality of rows of building elements with elements of adjacent row being mirror images and fitting into adjacent elements placed in half-element order, each of said elements comprising first and second parallel planar side faces which form portions of the planar surfaces of the structure to be formed therefrom, first and second parallel planar ends of identical trapezoidal configuration and third and fourth side faces mirror images of each other and each consisting of a pair of parallel planar trapezoidal surfaces joined by a planar parallelogram.
 2. In a wall, paving and the like structures composed of a plurality of identical building elements, each of said elements comprising first and second parallel planar side faces which form portions of the planar surfaces of the structure to be formed therefrom; said first planar side face being quadrangular in plane and the second planar side face being of hourglass configuration and defined by a pair of identical isosceles trapezoidal surfaces; a pair of identical end elements of trapezoidal configuration in plan, with parallel side edges lying in the planes of the first and second planar side faces, said end elements abutting in end to end relationship with adjacent elements when the elements are laid end to end; and a pair of third and fourth non-parallel sides mating with and fitting into an opposite side of adjacent elements placed in half-element order; said third side consisting of a pair of identical triangular surfaces separated by a triangular surface having a pair of edges each common with one of the pair of identical triangular surfaces and a third edge common with an edge of said first planar side face; and said fourth side comprising first and second pairs of triangular surfaces with the first pair lying in the same plane with one edge of each being common with one edge of the second pair of triangular surfaces and an other edge of each being common with an edge of opposite ends of the element, and said second pair of triangular surfaces being parallel to opposite of said identical triangular surfaces of said third side. 